Sunshine and Sippy Cups

I received a set of products from HP to help us have more summer fun – and am so excited to share them with you! #HPFamilyTime

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” – Sam Keen… Ahhhh, summer. Here in central Washington state, we have four very distinct seasons, which I love. As I’ve gotten to travel around the country the past few years, I appreciate our weather even more: As much as I adore the sunshine, I would be bored of it if that’s all I ever saw. But right now, after a chilly spring, I am SO incredibly ready for Mother Nature to bring on the heat and the sun. {When you talk about summer, do you start to hear Olaf singing the summer song in your head? Tell me it’s not just me…. #FrozenMusicIsSoAddicting.}

So, as the weather here is finally warming up, and I’m doing my own dreaming of summer – it’s time for us to plan our summer adventures! We bought a camper last year, and want to plan a couple of big camping trips with friends. I’m hoping to have my brother and his kids join us at the end of summer for a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, here in Washington. And – in the next few weeks Mike and I will load up the girls and head out on a road trip. Somewhere within a few hours from here, but we haven’t decided where yet. Maybe a trip to the zoo over near Seattle, or a fun trip to see the Bavarian charm of Leavenworth. The Pacific Northwest has so many gorgeous places to visit – it’s hard to choose!

One thing I DO know about our trip is that we’ll be bringing some amazing technology along with us. Yes, I’m a big fan of spending “unplugged” family time together – but I’m also a total tech junkie, and love how it can add so much more enjoyment to a trip. Check out my new love – the amazing new HP Pavilion x360:

• You can transition seamlessly from working, to video chatting, to browsing the web, to watching a movie, to playing a game, to reading a book on a single touch device that is priced about the same as an entry level touch notebook.
• It converts to let you work and play in the ideal mode: from notebook to stand to tent to tablet mode, just by flipping the screen. {Which is where the “360” part of it’s name comes from.}
• When you need to get some work done – answer email, write a paper, prepare a presentation – it’s a notebook. This is important, since I always have work to do, and Mike’s oldest daughter will have summer school courses to keep up with.
• When you want to watch a movie, fold it and watch a movie without the keyboard in the way – it’s an entertainment viewer. Perfect for keeping Abby entertained on a long car ride.
• When you want to play a touch based game turn it to “tent mode” – it’s a game screen.
• When you want to relax and surf the web, read a book or have fun with You Tube – it’s a tablet (keyboard is disabled when in tablet mode.) And it’s small enough to fit into my purse, to grab at a moment’s notice if we have a toddler meltdown approaching.

This bad boy is going to make traveling with kids, while keeping up with work, so much easier. It’s so super versatile, very lightweight and easy to grab and go – and how fun is the color? So bright and cheerful – which is what summer fun is all about. Awesome, right?

“Hey! It’s summer! Be free and happy and danceful and uninhibited and now-y!” – Terri Guillemets

We’re also planning a lot of “Staycation” style fun this year too. As you can see – the pool is almost ready to go. We’re hoping to open it up for the first swim party this weekend – my birthday is Thursday, Mike’s oldest daughter’s birthday is Friday, it’ll be Memorial Day weekend – it all combines into a great big reason to celebrate. {Not that I need a reason. You know me. I like to party.} I’m putting together a summer bucket list for the kids and I {I’ll be posting it soon – stay tuned!} And I’ve been collecting some super fun ideas on my Summer Family Fun board on Pinterest too, so be sure to check that out. And this all-in-once PC from HP is going to bring a ton of fun to our staycation adventures too:

• Abby and I can snuggle in and watch evening movies in the hammock.
• I can keep up with emails while laying out by the pool.
• I can make party playlists and bring this out to the patio – it’s got amazing Beats Audio sound, which rocks.
• We can use the built-in web cam to Skype with grandpa, and help him feel like he’s a part of our summer fun, even if he’s far away.
• I just bought Abby a subscription for ABCMouse.com, and she’s having SO much more fun doing the activities on this awesome touchscreen tablet than she would have on my regular laptop.

I hate to sound old, but… When I was a kid, I remember getting our first Atari, and playing River Raid. I remember the first time I ever got to use a computer, in 3rd grade, and thought that playing Oregon Trail was about the coolest, most high-tech thing ever. Technology has sure come a long way, baby. And – be sure come back next week to learn more about the uh-MAY-zing things our new printer can do, how to get your ink auto-magically sent to you before you run out, and more. And follow the #HPFamilyTime hashtag to see regular updates of how we’re using these fab tech tools to make this summer more memorable! Or if you can’t wait, take a peek here at some of the links to the products to learn more right now:

• HP Pavilion x360
• HP ENVY 5530 e-All-in-One
• HP Instant Ink 
• Snapfish